“The author provides a good overview of events in North Carolina and issues related to Sherman’s actions, a good analysis of the situation in the Trans-Mississippi and on the confusing situation in Louisiana and Texas, and an excellent conclusion on the start of Reconstruction and the emergence of the Lost Cause.”—Robert M. Dunkerly, author of To the Bitter End: Appomattox, Bennett Place, and the Surrenders of the Confederacy
“The important disconnect between the political leadership (Davis, etc.) and the military in the field at the end of the war across theaters is well-explored, and I think this is an especially important contribution. The careful consideration of the individual generals’ personalities is a quality addition.”—Barton A. Myers, author of Rebels against the Confederacy: North Carolina's Unionists
“Deeply researched and elegantly written, Obstinate Heroism offers the best scholarly explanation of why and how Confederates ingloriously yet often grudgingly succumbed to defeat after Lee’s surrender. It is a complex and far-reaching story—stretching from the Carolinas to Alabama and the Trans-Mississippi—revealing the Union military’s merciless pressures on desperate Confederate soldiers, commanders, political leaders, and civilians, who gradually crumbled and finally failed in their stubborn fight for independence.”--T. Michael Parrish, author of Richard Taylor: Soldier Prince of Dixie and co-editor of Brothers in Gray
“In his poignant re-examination of the uniquely ‘obstinate’ meaning of heroism, courage, defeat, and surrender within the doomed Confederacy, noted Civil War historian Steven J. Ramold paints a vividly refreshing portrait of the Southern armies that fought on for nearly two months after Lee disbanded his own army at Appomattox. Drawing on an imposing command of wide-ranging archival sources, Ramold deftly surveys the unraveling of the social, cultural, political, and military strands that held the Confederacy together for so long after any reasonable hope of victory had faded. Carefully researched and crisply told, this lavishly illustrated volume is essential to any full understanding of the conduct of the Confederate war effort as well as the ultimate causes of Confederate defeat.”—Kenneth J. Winkle, Sorensen Professor of American History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
[T]he book clearly possesses considerable insights and value. Though many of the military campaigns and surrenders recounted in Obstinate Heroism have received good and often quite substantial coverage elsewhere, Ramold's thoughtful analysis and multi-contextual integration of those events represent a unique and quite useful scholarly contribution."--Civil War Books and Authors
"Obstinate Heroism offers a well-researched look at the operations that were conducted in the South during the two months after Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Civil War buffs will find much to enjoy in this book."--Journal of America's Military Past
"Each section of the book provides a concise narrative of the final military campaigns in the respective regions and a detailed account of the negotiations and surrender proceedings that finally terminated hostilities. . . . Obstinate Courage is a good introduction to the topic that encompasses the whole of the erstwhile Confederacy."--Southwestern Historical Quarterly
"Obstinate Heroismmakes one of its major contributions to the field through its discussion of civil-military affairs. Ramold provides apt analysis of how a military strives to find direction in the face of a failing government. Who has the legal authority to surrender armies and end wars when the civilian leadership cannot be found? . . . Ramold’s study is an excellent and timely addition to the field."--Journal of Military History
"[A] compelling tableau of the final days of the rebellion after the surrender of General Robert E. Lee . . . . Obstinate Heroism is highly recommended to anyone who wishes to learn more about the last days of the Confederacy and how the first steps were taken to heal the nation by instigating surrenders that were just and fair. Just as Lincoln would have wished."--Army History